"She's Got A Way"
New Year's in New York, Fifth Avenue, 1988
The days came and went in New York City until the Foxworth family was gathered in the living room of their mansion, dressed in their nicest casual wear—which was probably twice as nice as a regular person's idea of "casual" —and getting ready to head out the door for New Year's. Winston would be accompanying them this time, leaving Oliver alone with Dodger and Georgette—and Mr. Bubbles the goldfish, but they never really counted him.
"Ready to see the ball drop, Jen?" Oliver watched Mr. Foxworth wrap another scarf around his daughter's neck. "If we don't hurry, we'll never get a good spot. Crowds are horrible in Times Square on New Year's!"
"I don't mind so much," Jenny muttered, fiddling with her woolen mitts.
Her father knelt down and looked her eye-to-eye. "I know you haven't been feeling well, sweetheart. But let's try to have a good time tonight. It'll be fun, I promise."
Winston led Mrs. Foxworth and Jenny out to the limousine, but Mr. Foxworth lingered in the living room. He walked over to Dodger, resting on the sofa, and scratched him behind the ears. He was still wearing the navy blue bandana he'd gotten for Christmas. "You be a good boy and stay in tonight. Please stay in."
Oliver saw his big brother roll his eyes, but he didn't think Mr. Foxworth noticed. He left after his wife and daughter, and soon enough, they heard the limo drive away. Oliver hopped up on the sofa beside Dodger. "You will stay here, won't you?"
Dodger didn't answer him for several seconds. "Yeah, course I will. I mean…" He looked at his paws. "I don't know. I kinda did wanna go out. Is that so wrong of me?"
"No, it's fine to want to… but will you? What would you do out there?"
His eyes lit up. "Oh, what wouldn't I do? I'd head to tha Meatpacking District first, they got tha best sausages, then I'd walk across tha Brooklyn Bridge. I'd catch a taxi Uptown an' check out tha Upper West-haven't been there in a while. Might even find Old Louie, for old times' sake. Steal some all-beef kosher franks. Why don't ya come with, kid?"
"I can't." His gaze was fixed on the window. "This is my home, not the streets."
"Ya don't approve." Dodger whimpered. "Ya don't understand."
"I do understand, I just… I wish you could be happier here. That's all."
"Would it make it any better," he slowly started, "if I promised to see tha Company again while I'm out? Since we argued last time, I've been wanting to make things right."
Oliver's ears perked up. "Yeah, that'd be great! That's perfect. Maybe I could come with you after all then? To see the old gang back together?"
"No, no, that's okay," Dodger quickly said. He jumped down from the couch and trotted into the kitchen. Oliver followed him and watched as Dodger leapt up to the kitchen counter, making for the open window above the sink. "I'd, uh, rather see 'em alone for now. Later."
The last Oliver saw of Dodger, he was struggling to pull the crimson collar off his head. Dodger hooked it around the faucet and finally got it off. The collar fell to the kitchen floor, and Dodger disappeared through the open window.
"Well, that was just about the worst lie I've ever heard."
Oliver jumped at the sound of an haughty, deadpan voice that could only belong to Georgette. The prize poodle came strutting into the kitchen, shaking her head at him like he was a toddler. "Don't be dumb. Dodger would never lie to me."
"Cat, I've told my fair share of lies—I mean, would you believe how many guys have the nerve to ask my age? —and let me tell you, that was such a lie."
Oliver looked out the window the mutt had left through. Dodger would never lie to him, would he? I mean, why would he? What was so bad about seeing the Company that Dodger had to be such a child about it-and this coming from the younger of the two!
Sometimes Oliver didn't know what to do without Dodger. Sometimes he didn't know what to do with him. Today was, unfortunately, one of the latter.
Survival Is All Just a Game, Midtown, 1988
Tonight, Nancy played the game. Because that's what it was, really. You start your turn, you take a chance and roll the dice. Maybe you'd get lucky and land on an edible meal. More likely you'd roll low and wind up running from savage street dogs. The game was rigged, of course, but you couldn't afford to lose a single round. She'd seen dogs passed out from hunger, never to wake up again. Losing was not an option for her.
"Maybe something over there," she muttered, scampering to a nearby alley and digging through a couple trash bags. She'd smelled rotten food, but all she could find was a stinking used diaper—and Nancy wasn't that desperate yet.
Dirt had caked in her golden-brown fur. Nancy wasn't a superficial dog, but she'd always been proud of her lovely fur. Now, seeing it get grimy and knotted, she felt her heart break in two. She looked in a puddle on the side of the road.
"How long have I been out here?" Nancy gasped at her reflection. Her long ears were faded, her face gaunt, and when she turned to the side, she could count her ribs. Were those her natural brown spots or just mud on her back?
"I… I can't go on like this." Nancy fell to the ground and whimpered like a pup. Sure, crying never fixed anything, but what else could she do in a situation like this?
"Something bothering ya, sweetheart?"
She jumped in fright and whipped around. It was another dog, but this one clearly didn't live on the streets. He was a mutt, but his fur was cleaned and the bandana around his neck was cleanly-pressed. "What do you want?"
"Just wondering what a pretty girl like ya is doing on tha streets."
Nancy stared long and hard at the strange dog. He wasn't as intimidating as other guys she'd run in to, and if she was honest, he was pretty handsome. But why take a chance? "That's none of your business. I don't need your help."
"Well, fine then. Sorry I asked." He scowled and turned to leave.
She watched him walk away with a heavy heart. "Wait! Wait, come back!" Sometimes you had to take a chance when you played the game. "My name's Nancy. I'm only out here cause… well… my humans ditched me. Haven't seen them for weeks now."
"Aww, geez. I'm sorry to say that happens more than you'd think." The mutt took a few steps towards her. He almost seemed hesitant himself. "That's real tough. I was… I mean, when I was just a little pup… my mom ditched me. Left me in tha Bronx to die."
"You tell all the girls that to rack up some sympathy points?"
"Actually, you're tha second person I've ever told."
That certainly caught her off guard. Nancy stared at him for a minute, then slowly, she walked to him. Their noses touched in the middle of the alley. "What's your name?"
"Me? Ah, no one special." He paused for dramatic effect. "Just tha Artful Dodger!"
Nancy blinked at him. "I'm sorry, who is that?"
"Tha Artful Dodger. Coolest dog in New York? Baddest pup in Manhattan? Not ringing a bell?" He gawked at her like she was some uncivilized coot. "Ya seriously never heard of me?"
She put on a wry smile. "Maybe you're not as famous as you think, Dodger."
For some reason, that made him laugh. Nancy was the kind of dog who believed in first impressions—on the streets, it was judge quick or hope you can run fast—and this Dodger was giving her a good feeling. "So tell me, Nancy babe, got any plans for New Year's?"
"I guess I do now," she grinned, and together, they walked out of the grungy alleyway.
He took her to Central Park first, and side-by-side, they strolled through the cold grass and under wintry tree tops. Nancy knew how stupid it was to go off with a guy she just now met, but it was more exciting than the usual try-not-to-starve routine. Central Park was larger than she'd ever imagined—she hadn't been in the few weeks she'd been a stray—and they huddled close to keep warm. Dodger's tail was wagging all the way to Times Square.
When they reached the Square, Nancy gasped at all the people. "Is tonight a party or something? Why is it so crowded?" They were everywhere, eyes fixed on some big ball hanging from a building above them.
"Guess ya don't know! Tonight is New Year's Eve. Before long, it's gonna be a brand new year." Dodger gazed up at the metal ball. "Gonna drop that sucker to celebrate."
"Humans are so weird. I mean, why denote time into years and months?"
"I dunno. Guess they'd forget how old they are otherwise." He leaned in close, a smarmy grin on his face. "Kinda cool though. In a few more minutes, it's gonna be 1989."
"What? Humans have been around for 1989 years? That's so many!"
"I know, right? Crazy to think about," Dodger said, his eyes moving from the Times Square Ball to the night sky above their heads. It was almost impossible with all the bright skyscrapers, but she could just make out a star or two. "Wow, babe. Ya got me going all existential. Don't think I've ever contemplated our existence before tonight."
"Guess we don't have that long to live, in the grand scheme of things."
"No, guess we don't." Dodger leaned in a bit closer. She brushed against him.
Suddenly, a giant glowing sign began to display a countdown. Nancy and Dodger watched the numbers winding down, finally getting to ten, nine, eight, seven. The people around them started counting off. Six, five, four. Couples grew closer. Three, two, one. Lips met.
"Happy New Year's, Nancy babe." Dodger gently licked her cheek.
She let him have his moment. When the roaring crowds died down and there was something close to quiet in the Square, Nancy said, "Look, I like you a lot for having just met you, but I don't think I need—I mean, this is all so fast, and I don't—"
"Dodger? What are you doing out here, boy?"
The man who approached them was gray-haired and well-dressed, wearing a bushy mustache and a concerned look. A blonde woman, a red-headed girl, and a chubby older man accompanied him. Nancy had no idea who they were, but Dodger must've, because his jaw dropped to the asphalt when she saw them.
"I thought I asked you to say home!" the man said through gritted teeth. "Honestly, boy, why couldn't you have just done as you're told for once?"
He knelt down and made a grab for Dodger, but the mutt was too fast for him. Dodger ducked and disappeared into the crowd, Nancy running after him. She heard the little girl burst into tears behind them and the man give a dismal groan. "Dodger? What was that all about?" She chased him into a narrow alley and out into a back lot. "Dodger?"
She found him lying on the cold concrete, trying to hide his tears.
First Time Dodger Fell in Love, Central Harlem, 1986
He wasn't with the Scoundrels for a change. Charl had run off to grab a bite to eat and Noah was off with some girl he'd met, so Dodger was left to wander the city streets on his own for a bit. The gang was still pumping, but everyone needed some time to themselves every now and then. Dodger certainly did.
The Artful Dodger—as he'd taken to calling himself nowadays—was strolling down the streets of Central Harlem. Music blared from a radio across the pavement. People danced in the streets, some with more clothes on than others, everyone having a wild time. Harlem always knew how to rock an improvised dance party.
He was just shaking his rear end, just getting into the beat of things. That's when he heard her scream "Help!" His ears perked up. "Oh, someone help me! Please!" It sounded like a damsel in distress.
Dodger ran through the streets till he came to her alleyway. A young girl dog was being cornered by three snarling bigger dogs, all of them male. Dodger could smell what they were after. He had to admit, it got his blood pumping too, but that was neither here nor there—and right now, this damsel needed his help.
Dodger leapt into the fight, going for the dog nearest her. He took him down with a bite to the muzzle, then it was two on one, and Dodger liked those odds much better. He tackled one big brute and kicked the other, then tacked the other one and kicked the first.
"Run for it, girly! Run for cover!" he barked at her. It got her up off the ground and charging clean out of the alleyway. When Dodger had beaten on the three of them enough, he jumped off and dashed after her. He turned the same corner she had, but then had to spot her in the crowds. He managed to sniff her out of hiding.
She was trembling in an alley a long ways away, shaking in distress. Dodger slowly approached. "Hey, girly, don't worry. I ain't gonna hurt ya none." He came a bit closer. "You're awful pretty to be so scared, know that?"
He wasn't lying. The girl was beautiful. Flowing red hair, long ears, a little bit scruffy but he liked her that way. It added to her charm, he thought. "My name is Dodger. Tha Artful Dodger, to be precise. What's your name, girly?"
"I am…" She seemed to think it over. "My name is Genevieve."
"Genevieve, huh? That's a pretty name for a pretty girl."
"Don't you start, too! That's how the others began, with their flirting—"
"Okay, okay, no more flirting. Just wanna make sure you're okay is all."
"Well, I am fine now, thanks to you." She had something of an accent, hard to place exactly. French, he realized. Her accent drove him wild, his blood pumping like nothing else. Genevieve must've noticed this, because she giggled. That didn't help.
Dodger had faced off against street dogs numerous times. He stormed the streets in the toughest gang around Harlem, and still, this redhead was the one creature in all of New York that made him slow down and just say, "Wow."
"Wow?" she asked in another of her giggles.
"Wow-wee, Momma." Dodger felt lightheaded. "You're something else."
"Thank you for saving me, Monsieur Dodger. I am sure we will meet again."
"Wait, don't go yet!" Dodger tried to get her to stay, but Genevieve was already out of the alleyway. He charged after her, and he could've sworn he heard her giggle carried on the breeze, but when he came into the streets, she was gone. Totally vanished.
"Wow-wee, wow." Dodger was flabbergasted. "I didn't know they made girls like her. Wow, oh, wow." He couldn't keep a grin off his dopey face. Dodger felt the heat rising to his cheeks and knew that he was blushing under his fur.
He wondered if this was how it felt to fall in love for the first time.
New Day in a New Year, Midtown, 1989
Nancy had been an only pet, so she'd never had much experience dealing with others. Sure, there were the occasional dog park visits, but on the whole, Nancy wasn't a social animal. So when she found Dodger crying in a back lot, she was a little lost.
"Did you know that family?" she tried. "Are they… your owners?"
He sniffed, rubbed at his eyes, and looked at her the way a child looked at his mother when he'd been caught lying. "Yeah, guess they are. Didn't used to be. I was a street dog all my life, then this man named Fagin took me in… but a couple months ago, I…"
"You ran away from him?" Nancy guessed. "Why would you do that?"
"I dunno. There was no reason for it, I just felt like I…," he paused to stare at his paws, "…like I didn't belong no more. But then this new family took me in, this rich family."
"And let me guess, you don't belong with them either?"
"Bingo." Dodger looked at her frown. "Ya don't approve, do ya?"
"How can I? My family dumped me like a broken toy, but you had owners twice and still don't feel at home? You'd be an idiot to prefer the streets to a real home."
"Guess I'm just an idiot then," he scoffed. Dodger got to his feet and trudged off, leaping onto a trash bin, and from there to a dumpster. He plopped down on the cold metal, his back to her. Nancy couldn't help thinking of him as a sulking cat.
"Dodger, I'm sorry," she sighed. "Sorry I said that. You're not an idiot. I just…" Nancy walked over to a wet newspaper and began tearing at it. "…I want a family again."
The newspaper was shreds at her feet. Dodger sat up on the dumpster and turned around, a spark in his eyes she hadn't seen since the Times Square Ball dropped. "Y'know, babe, I can't give ya your old folks back, but maybe there is someplace ya could stay safe at."
"Really?" Her own eyes lit up. "That's be wonderful! Let's go!"
Nancy followed Dodger out of the back lot and onto the busy streets of Midtown-busy even at this ungodly hour of the night. They went to the sidewalk first, and Dodger suggested they jump a taxi and ride it to Harlem— "Jump onto a moving car? Are you trying to get me killed?" —but eventually settled on sneaking underground and riding the subway instead. It was easy enough to get onboard. With the rush of people boarding, no one noticed two dogs joining them on the train. They hid under the seats until their stop came.
"So where is this safe place I can stay?" Nancy asked as they got off their train. "It's… not someplace with other dogs, is it? I don't really like other dogs." She knew how stupid that sounded—who didn't like other dogs? —but she'd much rather sleep alone than with strangers she didn't know or trust.
"Don't worry, it'll be all by your pretty little self." Dodger turned into an alleyway and through a hole in the wall. Nancy paused at first, then followed him through the hole, over some brick rubble from the wall, and into what looked to be a back room of an abandoned bar. There was a wad of newspapers and aprons in the corner. "Ta-da! What do ya think?"
"It looks like someone's been here recently," she said as she sniffed the aprons. "Two dogs were living here some months ago. You can still smell them on these aprons."
"Were they? Well, I doubt they're coming back anytime soon."
"You think I'll be safe here? And alone?"
"Not totally alone. I'll come visit ya every now and then, to check up on ya. See how you're coming along." Dodger paused a moment. "If you're okay with that…"
"Of course I am, Dodger. I feel like you're the only person I can trust."
"For now, better keep it that way. Lay low here, alright?"
"Okay, Dodger." She licked his cheek gently. "And thank you."
"Aww, geez, ya don't gotta thank me, Nancy babe."
"Thank you, regardless. No one else has ever been so kind."
"I am a kind-hearted soul, or so they say."
Dodger looked out through the hole in the wall at the city. Nancy wondered what he was thinking about-then she knew. It was obvious. "You don't have to stay with me. You can go back to your family. I know you feel guilty over ditching them earlier."
"I should, I know I should. But I don't. An' I don't wanna go back yet."
With that, Dodger ran through the hole and disappeared back into New York City.